Do You Respond to Complaints?

Many marketers are still ignoring dissatisfied customers on social media (fundraisers are worse).

Here is a great post on emarketer that talks about the importance of responding to complaints. Marketers are well aware that social media is a double-edged sword when it comes to word of mouth. Not only does social media give rave reviews and glowing recommendations a chance to be seen by millions, but it also does the same for negative feedback. How to best deal with negative buzz online is a perennial question.

Complaint response mixed

Some companies are confident that their customers use sites like Facebook and Twitter to complain about them, according to a September 2011 survey by feedback management software provider MarketTools. But nearly half of companies surveyed think their customers don’t comment or complain about their products and services online, and almost a quarter did not know whether their customers did so or not. The study also found that, while a sizeable number of marketers respond to customer complaints on Facebook or Twitter at least some of the time, the majority leave questions and negative feedback completely unanswered.

How is this relevant for fundraisers? I think trust is a key driver of donor loyalty, and there is no better opportunity to build a trusting relationship than when you can speak with a donor about a problem, complaint or bad experience. Forget about “research” and just do what’s right to show how much you value and appreciate those who support you.